The Punk of Life

I revisited the hit growing up sitcom series of 1983 called ' Facts of Life'.

Yes, I grew up with the series too and enjoyed the witty dialogue of beautiful Blair, vivacious Joe, cheeky Tootie, adorable Natalie and funny Mrs Garrett.

Look, how times have changed.Yet, the sitcom and the witty five-some continues to entertain.

I watch the 'Final Examinations,Please' episode and it was truly nostalgic!

I will be watching the other episodes soon.

That's Amore

It there is one movie where you see Cher in her element, it must be Moonstruck.

A 1987 movie, it is fresh then as it is as fresh now.

The early morning scene where Cher wantonly kicks a tin-can again and again in lustful pleasure, after sleeping with her fiance's brother (Nicholas Cage) is wickedly devious amidst the conventional values of a typical Italian family in New York.

I adore the beautiful strains of Dean Martin, Amore at the beginning and the ending of the movie.

What hypocrisy! What fun!

You can see the movie again and again without being tired. Love it!

Good Ole Days with Bobby Bare and Skeeter Davis

Yes, I am sure you remembered those halcyon days when you sang to the songs of Skeeter Davis such as Silver Threads and Golden Needles' and Bobby Bare's duet with her such as Misty Moonlight and Dear John.

Enjoy them again in these following videos.

I did.



Misty Moonlight



Dear John



Invisible tears



Blueberry hill



Together Again



We'll Sing in the Sunshine



Amazing Grace



Whispering Hope



Silver Threads



A Summer Place

A Smart Dentist Speaks

Listen to the Dentist.

You may not like him. But he speaks some truth here.

Shazwan Mustafa Kamal of the Malaysian Insider reports from Shah Alam after talking to the good dentist over BN’s chances of wresting back Selangor from Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

Look at these gems of experience from Toyo.

Without mincing his words, Toyo explains that an over-dominant Umno in Selangor will cost Barisan Nasional (BN) crucial voter support in the next general election as it will push non-Malays towards PR. He singled out the sole problem in Selangor-that BN component parties were not “unified” — the MCA MIC and Gerakan have failed to play their part in attracting new young voters. As a result UMNO started relying on itself and up its ante to solidify its own support base in preparations for the upcoming polls.

Hear him speak.

“When Umno becomes more dominant, they are going to push away the non-Malay votes.”

He reasoned that one of the reasons during his term why the Chinese did not vote for BN was because Umno was too dominant in Selangor. He added the continuing trend of difficulty in securing urban votes will make it difficult for BN to re-take the state.

Toyo became Opposition leader in the Selangor State Assembly when BN lost to PR in the 2008 general election.PR won 36 of the 56 state seats. He was subsequently replaced by PKR’s Khalid Ibrahim.

Toyo observed that an “almost” balanced voter demographic between Malays and non-Malays in the state made it difficult for BN to gain full electoral support as only Malay votes were currently with BN.[Loaded statement]

Let us look at Toyo’s mathematics.

“Can BN take over Selangor with Umno? We go back to percentage-52 per cent of voters are non-Malays.” He reminded that the problem is that some of the seats which Umno won in 2008 were below 500 votes yet Umno feels all seats are winnable today as it only receive feedback from Malays. ”

He lamented that while Umno had been diligently engaging with the Malay community in Selangor and getting positive feedback, component parties like the MCA and MIC have yet to do the same. [Likelihood in lala la land and converting the converted!]

Khir believes that there is a need to get a timely report from the non-Malays. “Umno does it but component parties should do it for Chinese and Indians. The point is if Umno is too dominant, it makes non-Malays uncomfortable and they then vote for PR in default.”

The solution to this, said Toyo, was for BN to “empower” MCA MIC and Gerakan party leaders by allowing them to announce allocations and projects for their own communities instead of Prime Minister Najib Razak doing so.

Toyo said that non-Malays had lost “respect” for BN component party leaders as they were seen as not being able to do anything to help their own communities. [What a keen observation!]

“That is why now we have to give more power to MCA MIC Make sure their party presidents announce school allocations to their own communities. If we hope for the PM and deputy prime minister to do this Umno will be seen as too dominant and the Chinese will lose respect for their own leaders.[Too late?]

“That’s the problem now and I have always said we need to enhance opportunities to other party leaders to make their own decisions and we give them allocations ”, he stressed.

Toyo praised Mahathir for empowering component party leaders during his tenure as PM and that was why past leaders like Samy Vellu and Ling Liong Sik were respected.

“Umno’s strength alone cannot pull non-Malays like we have done with Malays. Selangor BN needs to move as BN, not Umno. We’re on the last lap before elections.[ Another keen observation!]

“That’s why Samy Vellu was like the king for his race because he announced the allocations; not Mahathir. Last time component leaders were very strong and respected because they went down to the ground and gave things.” [MCA and Gerakan too?]

He pooh-poohed current ministers and said they had no ‘oomph’ factor. He cited Liow Tiong Lai and Kong Cho Ha as such leaders.

He also foresee BN possibly losing the states of Selangor,Perak, Kedah,Negeri Sembilan and the Federal Territory in the 13 GE.

Toyo, the oracler, may be just right this time, you know!

A Re-rating for YTL Corp in the Works?

YTL Corp (YTL) is beating its jungle drums!

Is Francis drumming up buying support for his flagship company?

He has just announced that there are potential acquisitions coming YTL's way come this year and also the likelihood of a doubling up of its dividend payout after the successful completion of its take-over of subsidiary, YTL Cement.

YTL, the best performer on Malaysia’s benchmark index this year, may buy power, cement or property assets in Asia in the next six months to expand its business in the region, according to managing director Tan Sri Francis Yeoh said.

The utilities and construction group had identified targets and might make a purchase in the second or third quarter, Yeoh, 57, said in an interview on Tuesday, declining to be more specific. The company might boost dividend payouts to the highest level in four years following its takeover of unit YTL Cement Bhd, he said.

In a Bloomberg report, Francis siad,"There are some opportunities looming for acquisitions and we’ve got a lot of good things going on. We have RM13bil cash. We can grow organically or we can acquire assets.”

A large overseas acquisition would be the first in three years for YTL, which has climbed 18% this year, compared with the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index’s 3.6% gain. Excluding banking stocks, the group’s cash position is the second-highest after Genting Bhd, boosted by income from power generation and growth in cement production.

YTL’s cash pile put the company in a “very good” position to make purchases abroad, Yeoh said.

“I’m attracted to Asia because somehow the reservoir of money will be in Asia,” he said. “Asian currencies are predominantly undervalued compared with the US dollar. In a way, there is less risk buying Asian assets.”

YTL Power International Bhd, 45% owned by YTL, agreed in December 2008 to buy Singapore’s Power-Seraya Ltd for S$3.6bil.

Yeoh said in April last year that YTL might purchase its units if it couldn’t find suitable companies to acquire. The company made a RM1.06bil

offer in December to buy out YTL Cement through a share swap.

Yeoh declined to comment on whether there was an imminent plan to take over another subsidiary.

The company might double its dividend payout, which was 2 sen per share in the year ended June 30 (FY11), after the purchase of YTL Cement,Yeoh said. That would be the highest level since fiscal 2008.

The acquisition might add RM165mil to the group’s profit in FY12, Yeoh said, based on his calculations. Group revenue might rise to RM20bil, he said. The company had net income of RM1.03bil and sales of RM18.3bil in FY11, according to its annual report.

“By taking over YTL Cement, you would hope that you can pay more dividends to shareholders,” said Yeoh. “That would be the expectation and I think we can meet the investors’ expectation.”

I think this is the new platform for a re-rating of the mother counter of YTL Group of companies.

Watch out for a price increase when volume pick up speed and mass!

Razaleigh: You Can't Touch Me !

Remembered MC Hammer and his hit number, "You Can't Touch That!"?



Yo! That is what Tengku Razaleigh is telling UMNO.

Here, he is refering to himself- You Can't Touch Me!

And that he would not leave UMNO the way Kadir did.

So, it looks like he is playing confrontational 'Chicken' with Najib.

Who will be the first to blink and steer off from collision?

Najib or Razaleigh?

The gauntlet has been thrown.

Will Najib pick it up and dare Razaleigh to quit or get the boot!

That episode will unravel sooner or later.

The options are: Kick him out if he continue to say nasty things or pretend you do not know.

Your guess?

13th GE-The Battle for the Rural Heartland

Barisan Nasional's victories ever since independence has always been the rural heartland. Lose that and its game over,mate.

The early days of pre-Barisan Nasional stranglehold over the voting public until the May 13 Incident, was just that-win over the rural folks. Give them what they need in infrastructure. Victory is in your pocket!

Then was the era of development-It was the 'Needs' period.

Today, except for pocketfuls of rural areas that need the basic 'water, electricity and road' formula and the vast expanse of Sabah and Sarawak which continues to be difficult to access by road or rail,many young voting Malaysians have come of age. It is the 'I Want' period! This is the dynamics of the situation!

That many Malaysians have gone through tertiary education, gone overseas and read widely, have made them more aware of what is happening in the country. While in the past, it was the telephone that disseminates information, that changed with the fax machine. Today, the internet and the alternative media is posing immense challenges to sitting governments. It is in full multimedia! And can be manipulated totally for disinformation purposes!

Is Barisan losing the rural heartland in Peninsular Malaysia? Similarly, what is the true picture in Sabah and Sarawak. Has there been also a rural reawakening in these two states?

Barisan must remember that development politics is a two edged sword. As the people gets access to good roads, that also invite in opposition parties,the internet and the alternative media. Portable DVD players can screen any video onto a large screen which can work against the Barisan. Ease of infrastructure and technology can be a great equalizer!

Right now, BN is walking on eggs if they cannot resolve the listing of FGVB amicably. Losing half the settlers' support is real dicey in Malay heartland constituencies. It's going to be a touch-and-go if they should win.

It would be difficult to win this time around in strong urban areas. Urban areas are traditionally anti-government. Urban poverty is terrible and make voters to go against the establishment. Lately,the Chinese populace has too many issues with the government (Chiefly, Chinese school teachers) and this must be resolved if BN is to be able to hold back the opposition onslaught to secure victory. MCA has failed badly to resolve this particularly explosive problem!

What about the traditional kampungs? Can the government still depend on the village chieftains and the rural teachers? Again there is this remote possibility that these voters may have been alienated by the now aborted salary revision which favours the elite government servants. So, will be new add-on current scheme sway them back to the Barisan camp?

Except for UMNO which can be considered tenacious in possibly winning a big portion of their current seats in the best scenario,all other component parties are having both internal and external problems and these may easily cause the loss of such seats that have been allocated to them to the opposition.

For Gerakan,SUPP and PPP; it looks like they are confronting the 'last nail in the coffin' scenario.

For the MCA, they will likely be decimated except for one or two leaders who may win because of their pluck,luck, personality and the election machinery in their constituencies.

For others, it can be assumed it is one steep hill to run up given the awakening of the semi-urban areas. I do hope they have sufficient and sustainable stamina to oust the opponents.

As PM Najib trudged on and criss crossed the nation,in relentless 'hot breath' campaigning;little do we hear about the rest in UMNO or for that matter from component parties. Are they not campaigning as hard? Or have they been stung by the tze-tze fly?

Perhaps it is the muting period.

13th GE-Oraclers and Seers

Today, we have The Star jumping in as well in being a seer for the 13th GE.

It has looked at some analysts' forecast and has informed us that the GE will likely take place in September. And so goes the guessing game with red herrings galore,unlike in the USA when it has all been scheduled as if by tradition.

As usual the daily has its reasons for speculating the GE would likely occur in September and not in any of the earlier months except for June.

The basic premise is that many important issue need time for closure.

Then, there is the PM's travel to China and to the USA. The US event is insigniicfant. The two-day visit to China from March 31 he will attend the launch of the Qizhou Industrial Park in Nanning with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao can certainly be postponed or downgraded and delegated to the DPM or even the MITI Minister.

The STAR believes that PM may want to go to the USA function and then have a family get-away there just before the GE.

As for August, The Star thinks it is unlikely as it is the puasa month cum Hari Raya festive season and preparations for the national day has also to be organised.

With April just days away, Barisan Nasional component parties are still busy resolving seat swapping issues and the list of candidates has yet to be finalised. [Believe me, this is a tedious process and unhappiness can be brewed along the way and hotspots may emerge.]

June looks likely to be a good window for the election still. If not, then it has to be held after July when the fasting month will begin.

"The whole of August will be taken up by the Hari Raya celebrations and the run-up to National Day" says an analyst,adding that Najib could take advantage of feel-good factors such as the holiday mood and the Merdeka anniversary spirit of patriotism.

If September was picked, another analyst said, it would have to be the first week of the month.

“It cannot be late September as the haj season would have begun, ending only in October.Then, there is the Parliament meeting from Sept 24 until Nov 27, where the Budget needs to be tabled. Once it is tabled, it has to be approved by the Dewan Negara, which means it (the Budget session) will drag on until next year,” he said.

“The Dewan Rakyat is unlikely to be dissolved once the Budget has been tabled. It has to go all the way with the two Houses adopting it.”

Will The Star be the true prophet?

And so the guessing game continues................

No Winds of Change-Najib's Detractor

Najib proclaimed he feels the winds of change in his meetings with the Indian community lately. He believes that he has won them over to the side of BN. His nambikai remains intact.

Now, a detractor has come forward to pour icy cold water over his optimism.

The Malaysian Indians Progressive Association (MIPAS) has claimed it has conducted surveys and studies to glean information about this assertion and their feedback from the rakyat has demonstrated this is not necessarily so.

The felt no strong winds blowing from the community to the side of BN. The community, it seems,does not have confidence and full trust in the BN government as many issues have still not been fulfilled.

MIPAS believes the BN has failed the Indian community as Najib’s Nambikai trust has not fulfilled their needs because many of them are still without MyCards and birth certificates.

Statistics has shown Indians only comprise 3.2 per cent of employees in the government sector when it rightly should be about seven per cent.

On the recent announcments of full scholarships to the top 100 students from the Indian community who graduate with first-class honours from public universities, they felt it could be a tall order as there are not many Indian students in public universities.

They claimed that the government affirms that every vote is equal but when it comes to policy and implementation it is not equal. The cogent example they gave was the reluctance of the government to alienate land to the Indian landless.

MIPAS believes BN can expect an easy victory only in Johor, Malacca and Pahang in the 13th general election.

This is what has been predicted by Daim as well.

Are we having a Delphi at work here, somewhow?

The Horse God

I just watched 'War Horse' yesterday.

Though it is a Steven Spielberg production,it somewhat seems contrived and too coincidental. But it had many moments of excitement.

The love of a young foal by a boy became a reality when his father foolishly bought it at a horse auction,outbidding the landlord who wanted to foreclose the farm if rental was not paid before summer was over.

The event of World War 1 and a crop failure forced the boy's father to sell the horse to the military.

From then on, it was the saga of the horse as it worked both sides of the trenches during the Battle of the Somne. There was a slight interlude when, along with another horse, it was used by two deserting German lads who was later shot for desertion. It then came into the possession of a young girl called Emilie until the horses were taken away by the German army to pull artillery.

Then there was a surreal moment when both sides in the war stopped the battle to help Joey, the horse to get out of the barbed wires that entangled it.

The movie also had one over dramatic scene when the boy who was wounded in the battle and could not see momentarily and his wounded horse met. His journey home on his horse to the farm after the war, seen in orange hue silhouettes, was visually artistic.

It is a good production,though, and one can surely enjoy such a movie as we root at the edge of our seats for the survival of all those good characters in the movie. Some do die in the movie, of course.

Way Up North

Remembered Johnny Horton's legendary song," North to Alaska"?


So memorable. So nostalgic!

I remembered watching this movie as a young boy. Perhaps I was too 'young' to know the more matured aspects of the movie;particularly of hen houses and mesdemoiselles; the love triangle between Sam(John Wayne) and Stewart Granger (George Pratt) and why the handsome Fabian was swooning head over heels over the charming Capucine (Angel).

Now, at a much older age, I do see those aspects and they are as evergreen as when it first burst upon the screen, I surmise.

This movie really showcases the beauty of Capucine.

Simple plot and fun while it lasted.

An Omen of Things to Come?

Wee Ka Siong may have made a tactical mistake of thinking the Chinese teachers will be respectful of him as the Deputy Minister of Education.

But he was almost dead wrong.

While attending the Dong Zong Chinese teachers protest and demonstration at Kajang yesterday, he was mobbed, heckled, jeered, thrown water bottles at and almost punched in the face. He claimed someone did in fact brushed his face slightly though he was not harmed. Thankfully, the ring of police personnel protected him.

So, is this hot reception against Wee, the MCA Youth leader an ominous sign and acid test that MCA is going to be double-boiled, stewed, diced, spiked and roasted before being served on a golden platter comes the 13 GE?

Just When The Going Seems to be going Good.....

Najib tells that he smelled a whiff of good feelings lately on his whirl-wind walkabouts through the nation, particularly in opposition held Selangor and Kedah. For him, this signifies that he can call the GE soon.

He thinks he has sewn the loose ends on the NFC imbroglio by getting UMNO Wanita to close ranks.

Also, he felt there is now sufficient support from the Indian community unlike back in 2008.

He also thinks he has come out with a better revised salary scheme for the civil service, after aborting the earlier 'silly' scheme.

However, just before he can feel confident to call for the GE, a few telling incidents have caused him some concerns again.

There seems to be no good time that he can call the election as the current term of Parliament will end in April next year.

Today, Hindraf showed its fangs by bringing a watermelon to demonstrate in Putrajaya. Apparently, the broken watermelon signifies that Najib has broken the nambikai or good faith and trust that the Indian community has given him.

Then The Deputy Minister of Education, Wee Ka Siong was almost mobbed and punched when he attended a Dong Zhao Zong function in Kajang condemning the government for inaction on the shortage of Chinese teachers.

To add sour cream atop the latte, CUEPACS now demands the government to announce who the members of the New Salary Revision Commission are by the end of March.

So, it looks like all is not well once again in the Chinese and Indian community as well as the civil service.

Should Najib then forget about an early election and live out the full term until April 2013?

Stupid is As Stupid does

These are classic pictures to testify what Forrest Gump says as 'Stupid is as Stupid Does'.

BN-The Candidates List

The sad thing about choosing someone for a privileged position is making one person happy and making all the rest of the contenders unhappy.

The same thing will happen in the next General election when the list of potential BN candidates will pass from the hands of the state BN chieftain to the PM for consideration. Often times, it is UMNO which will ultimately decide the fate of those of the list even though the component party head honcho have their say at their levels.

After looking at all the candidates and their alternatives,the final say lies with the PM.

What is the scenario when the list of candidates are finally or supposedly firmed up?

There will be happiness in some group when their choice is selected. For other groups, which is the majority though not in concert,their unhappiness will be bitter.

The outcome-the group will either show lukewarm support of the party candidates while the chances of direct and indirect sabotage will start during the week after nomination.

I think UMNO and BN will face this problem because everyone will claim they are winnable candidates based on their own assessment and will feel slighted as their faith on the leadership start to erode.

Genting Singapore and Junket Fever

The Singapore Casino Regulatory Authority (CSA), which showed abhorrence for junkets when the two casinos on the island started, has tempered their stand a wee bit.

They have now licensed two casino junkets, namely, Yu Kiung and Low Chong Aun, to help attract more big gamblers to Genting Singapore (GenS). This set bells ringing and a frenzy of buying on the counter this morning pushed the counter up by 5.8% to RM1.73, after hitting a high of RM1.77.

CRA described the two operators as international market agents who “will on bringing in foreign high rollers to our casinos.”

“We see this positively as the other junket operators will know more about the Singapore government is looking out for, so the process might get easier, “said Carey Wong, an analyst at OCBC Investment Research.

“Another positive thing is the credit risk. Now Genting doesn’t have to extend much credit to the high rollers because the junket operators typically offer own credit.

”Junket operators organise visits to casinos and provide credit to players return for commissions from casino owners.

Wong maintained a buy rating and S$2.02 share price target on GenS.

Nearly 218 million shares were traded today, more than three times the average full-day volume traded over the past 30 days.

The two casinos in Singapore — GenS’s Resorts World Sentosa and Las Vegas Sands’ Marina Bay Sands — are a significant source of tax revenue for the government and a draw for tourists from the region.

The Southeast Asian nation hopes to attract up to 10 per cent more visitors this year, helped by an increase in cruise tourism, Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said today.

Wong estimated Singapore’s gaming market last year was around S$5.7 billion (RM13.9 billion) and expected this to grow to S$6.7 billion this year due to more gaming tables and slot machines, a boost from the junkets and higher tourist arrivals.

However, Wong said Singapore is unlikely to outpace Macau because of the large number of casinos there and its location on China’s doorstep.

DMG & Partners Securities Pte Ltd, a naysayer, said while the news about the junkets should help drive gambling volumes and lower GenS’s credit risk, the small number of approvals and tighter regulatory restrictions may mute the benefits initially.

There may also be some duplication in the client base between the two junket operators and that of GenS’s existing VIP customer base, it said.

GenS’s Resorts World Sentosa made S$398.8 million in adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.

EBITDA in the fourth quarter, up from S$384.7 million a year earlier. But its EBITDA was lower than the S$426.9 million reported by Marina Bay Sands for the three months ended in December.

Reuters said, “Out of 25 analysts covering Genting Singapore stock, 14 have “buy” or “strong buy” ratings, nine have “hold” and two have “sell” “strong sell”.

So, do you think there is more upside for this crown jewel of Genting Bhd?

Najib: The Lone Crusader

He may not be caped, but Najib is doing one fine Herculean job as a crusader.

It seems nothing is for him these days;and as time moves forward so quickly, the suitable time windows to call for the next GE gets fewer and fewer.

Assuming that he must call the elections by April 2013,it means that he has less than 365 days to dissolve the current Parliament.

Compared to the PR that seems to have leaders at every level, all respected as primus inter pares,BN has too few leaders of calibre.

When Najib comes out strongly in his campaign in some new policy area, programme or even project,none of the BN leaders are capable of following through on them. Perhaps, they do not want to for fear of taking away the thunder from Najib.

I remembered clearly that during Mahathir's reign as head honcho, whatever statement is made is echoed and reinforced by the top echelon leaders from all component parties.

Obviously, these eased during Badawi's time at the helm.

Now, when Najib is at the watch, he is truly on his own. Except for a few leaders who selectively echoes him, all the rest are either not on the same page' or perceiving things in their own way, much in conflict with what was envisioned by Najib. The 1Malaysia concept is a case in point.

PM Najib's image as a leader has also been sullied by the numerous times he had to flip-flopped even though lately he seemed to have a more flexible stand on the heritage buildings in Jalan Petaling which are earmarked for destruction to give way to the MRT and the Lynas issue. It is also interesting to note that he will based his winnable list of candidates that are supported by the people.

Alas, time is not on his side.

As much as PM Najib campaigns to win the hearts and minds of the undecided, he is alone in this as the top BN leadership is not 'a first among equal' and as such lacks commitment and thus adopts, at best, a que sera sera attitude.

And it is truly sad that there isn't a single respected leader in the component parties which can be considered a true-blue winnable candidate.

I wonder who will be on Najib's winnable candidate list finally?

Metronic Global- Would You have Sold?

I think it really takes a person in the know to hold on to Metronic Global(Metronic)stocks when it sprung up to life a couple of days back.

Many would have sold once it reached 8 sen.

The very fact that it breached 14.5 sen would have been a good time to sell.

Only the stout-hearted would have held on to this troublesome counter after it has hibernated at the 4 sen level for such a long time. With court cases and bad debts, it is a miracle that some people can fell in love with Metronic.

However, today it hit pay-dirt by climbing up to 29.5 sen by the noon close, upping up by a spectacular 18 sen.

Will Bursa Kl put out a timely query or will this stock be suspended awaiting specific corporate development announcements?

This must definitely be the counter that will fund the coming GE as the Chairman is an UMNO ally and Ghani,the CEO was the blue-eyed boy of Daim in times gone by and supposedly still is.

Daim: His Bleakest Prediction for BN

While not mentioning the strength of BN in Sabah and Sarawak, Daim Zainuddin has now openly predicted the bleakest scenario for Najib in the impending GE.

He expects BN to have an easy victory in only three states — Johor, Malacca and Pahang.

Giving an exclusive interview on the 13th GE with Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau that was published today (20 March 2012), Daim counseled that BN must have a suitable leadership line-up if it hopes to recapture Kedah and Selangor from Pakatan Rakyat.

Retaining Perak would be an uphill battle for BN, he mused while in Negri Sembilan where BN rules with a six-seat majority, the state BN must resolve some specific problems.[I am sure there is much bickering here between incumbent Hassan, Rais Yatim and Khairy Jamaluddin].

As for Kelantan and Penang, Daim says BN would be fighting a losing battle in the two Pakatan strongholds.

Describing Najib Razak and his team as “generals without soldiers”, Daim opined that though the prime minister and other key leaders have done enough, their current situation is that of ‘generals without soldiers’.

He asked pointedly, “Where are BN’s soldiers?”

The leaders at division and branch level have yet to show leadership and must be more proactive in engaging the people.

He felt that Najib currently has team members 'who are not on the same page' with him.

He added that in parliamentary elections, depending on a single person such as the prime minister is not going to be enough for success. BN needs a team. As it is, he believes the prime minister has done enough but the problem is that people cannot see his team. He needs to tell the people where his team is.

In parting, the veteran politician advised Najib, in no uncertain terms, 'to cut out the deadwood'.

In retrsopect, it was Daim who correctly predicted that the BN will lose its two thirds in Parliament as well as cede the state governments of Penang, Selangor and Kedah to the opposition in 2008. Annoyingly for BN, his predictions came true.

Will Najib trust Daim’s prediction this time around?

OSK Predicts

Yes, these analysts can move mountains.

Look at Metronic Global.

All that was written was a simple chartist's impression of the stock and that it has accumulated sufficient volume or criticial mass to move forward. Then it shot up one hundred percent, fro m4 to 8 sen.

Lately it was chased by punters who pushed it to 14.5% thinking that it has some super news. Then a reply came from the company that a majority shareholder has been approached by a party to purchase some of his shares. That quelled the speculative frnezy a little bit.

So, let us look what has OSK IB's researchers have recommended this time around.

The first counter to look at is that Japanese sleeper, TASCO.

After moving up from the RM1.70's level to RM1.90; this logistics company has now vaulted itself beyond the RM2.00 mark. The only corporate news is that they have leased some land near the Tanjong Pelepas Port in Pulai, Johor. Today it is trading at RM2.02 and RM2.03 level.

OSK has predicted that it will move up to RM2.30 as its next target.

The other counter is YTL Corp.

This counter is a really heavy-weight counter in terms of the number of shares floating all around because of the share exchange with shareholders of YTL Cement.While it went up for a day on Thursday beyond RM1.80; by Friday last, 16 March, it tumbled back to RM1.70 and below. Today, it is trading at about RM1.76-RM1.77.

OSK has projected that its next price level will be RM2.10.

So, do you believe in the analysts at OSK and take a position or just ignore it as price postulation and nothing more?

The 13th GE- Reading Entrails and Tea-leaves

There were many who predicted that the aftermath of the 13 General Elections may be a hung Parliament.

The soothsayer Daim who predicted the outcome of the 12th General Elections quite correctly, is reading entrails and tea-leaves these days. As he fleshes out the issues facing the BN, he also saw the foreboding shadow of a hung Parliament. This is certainly not good for PM Najib.

Today, even PM Najib spoke about it. The thought has certainly crossed his mind.

In the short time window before him before April 2013 when he will be compelled to call the GE, he is doing his level best to win over the hearts of the people. He is good in optics and his hand-outs certainly can do the trick.

As a political observer, I see worrying concerns in the BN camp.

Trouble is Najib is not having a good team in UMNO; and certainly not in the albatrosses-slung-on-their necks MCA, Gerakan, SUPP,PPP and MIC component parties. Every time he advances, they drag him back like a full blown parachute!

To make matters worse, the global economy continues to be uncertain with the people suffering from inflation woes that seems to get worse every month.

The question on everyone's lips is this?

Is real fear coming over the BN camp?

Daim-Not So Quiet These Days

Wah, this man has really got many things to say these days.

When he was walking in the corridors of power, he was known as Quiet Daim; saying things as briefly as possible, fearful of being misquoted.

When asked about the stock market then, he said ‘buy’ and there was a flurry of frenzy buying. When the market could not sustained and fell, he replied he was being misquoted. What he actually said and meant was ‘Bye-bye’ to the market.

After speculating on the odds for the BN government to win more seats as well as to regain its two-third majority in Parliament and some state governments in the forthcoming General elections, he has popped up again to talk about mundane topics such as houses, jobs, schools, inflation and prices of goods.

On housing, he says the prices of residential properties in Malaysia are too high, and far beyond the people's ability to afford them, urging the government to expedite control measures and stop irresponsible, greedy developers.

He pointed out that the comments of real estate industry players that the country’s property prices were lower than some neighbouring countries were misleading.

On claims by developers and real estate agents that there was no property bubble in Malaysia and prices here were lower than in countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong, Daim said, "of course, they are earning more than us".

He said Singaporeans on average, were earning higher than the average Malaysians, and Hong Kong had limited land whereas land is plentiful in Malaysia.

On the steep hike in property prices in the last two years, he said "they are going up like crazy".

He said the government's relaxation on the real property gain tax in the past and the central bank's relaxation on lending policies and guidelines on housing loans had given rise to too much speculative activities in the industry.

He said the high-end properties were beyond the reach of Malaysians.

Even foreign buyers were being put off, he said, adding that only the mid-range properties were still doing well.

He advised the government to be clear that the people wanted affordable housing which can increase in value over the years.

The people also wanted a job, with a pay that was able to meet their needs, he said.

Next come good schools and reasonable prices of goods, he added.

"If the government takes care of the people's needs, they would not consider changing the government," he said.

Daim also agreed with the implementation of the minimum wage policy but said that productivity must be raised in tandem. At the same time, the government must control inflation, he added.

Pointing out that a person who earns RM3,000 a month will find it hard to survive in Kuala Lumpur nowadays, he felt that the minimum wage should be set at RM1,200 a month.

My Comments:

There are many people earning below this amount and they are hard-pressed to survive in KL, JB and in Selangor. Rents are high, food is expensive and tolls can really be a nuisance on the pocket-book.

Can the government really come up with some ad-hoc and long-term solutions?

For pensioners and the retirees, are there going to be some Malaysian bonds and sukuk funds for subscription soon as the banks are still fleecing them right now with the low interest regime?

My Son-Earning his Keep

Well, today 19 March is indeed a milestone day for my son.

Today, he starts to earn his keep and no longer will be fully dependent on me.

He is now an inn-keeper of sorts, working in a boutique hotel in SS2,about a half-hour walk from our home.

Pay is okay at above RM1,500 for an 8-hour stint with a day of leave every fortnight. For those who want to increase their take-home pay, they can work on the day of leave on over-time.

The down-side is the grave-yard shift from 12 midnight to 8 the next morning.

Work was not difficult, he recounted of his first work day. There was another guy working with him and together they see to the needs of the hotel guests. An Indonesian maid does all the house-keeping and cleaning.

To make himself useful on his first day, he repaired the hotel's broken-down computer by re-wiring the power unit and stopped the computer from over-clocking.

He also had to check out some guests in the morning.

Room rates starts from RM60 for a single-bed room to a two queen-size bed room costing RM138.00 nightly. Check out time is 3 pm.

There is also a dress code. His shirt must be white and his long pants black. He must also wear black shoes.

I do not know when his probation will end though; as he is still feeling around the new job.

Haunting Nostalgia of the Early 70s

If you were undergraduate in the early 1970s, you would have sang these songs and danced to them on campus or in the discos.

They were great songs and music and we can swear by our fondness for them each time they come on over the FM radio.

Some of us may associate someone in time past by these songs or have danced in your bell-bottoms with loved ones in courting.

My favourites were Neil Diamond's Shilo and Girl You will be a Woman Soon; The Hollies', Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress and Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water.

Enjoy!

Tell-tale Signs of Aging?

I remembered someone telling me that if you tend to drop things often, that means age has caught up. Your motor nerves are no longer the way they are to promote coordination of movement.

The other thing is losing things accidentally or misplacing them. If these occurrences becomes more frequent, that would not augur well.

Like today, I lost a food coupon given to me on the occasion of a public function. Unless, it was pick-pocketed out of my shirt pocket,the likelihood is that it has fallen out of my pocket and I was unaware of it.

So, the next time, you are given something of some value, keep it in a safe place.

Do not be reckless as it can slip and fell out easily from your pockets.